The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-12

connection with Prof. Anderson, the great
Wizard of the North, After this engage
ment Mr. Richard Pelham left the company
The remainder organized in connection with
Joe Sweeney, who had just arrived in the
country, and in this way they travelled
through Ireland and Scotland for six
months with success The company then
disbanded and Whitlock returned to
America. The others soon followed him,
ed in England up to his death in October,
1876 Another company arrived in Europe
from Boston, known as the Ring and Park
err llnipstrels.' They performed in Liver
pool and Boston while the Virginia min
strels were playing in London. One of the
members of the company personated the
character of Lucy Long, which evidently
must have been original with them. This
rival party afterward performed at the
GMrick street theatre, London They ar
rived in Liverpool in three or four weeks
after the Virginia MINISTRIES. On the return
or the Virginia MINISTRIES to America they
found, as they had anticipated minstrel
companies in abundance all over the coun-
try. Band after band was organized almost
everyday with various titles, and many of
them passed aavapf almost as suddenly as
an April shower A vast Improvement,
however, had been made in the min
strel business Notwithstanding its short ex-
iStence.
BIRTH OF THE coLoRED sERENADERs.
''Dmubleton's Ethiopian serenaders was
probably one of the most unique organiza-
tionS among the first bands They started
in the spring of 1913, and consisted of Frank
Germon, tanbo; George Harrington, banjo
Moody Stanwood, accordion, and Gilbert
w. Pell, bones. This band played in Balti-
more in 1874. They also played in Wash
ington before President Tyler and cabinet,
and then went down to New Orleans. They
returned to New York in the spring of 1S45
and shortly after went to England where
they played before the queen and royal
family, the duke of Wellington, and others
of the nobility at Arundel castle by com
mand of the queen. This party returned in
1913 and opened at Pamo's opera house
Oct, of that year After playing thirteen
weeks they disbanded. Pell took Juba, the
real negro dancer perhaps the BEST, and
Tom Briggs the great banjoist of that time,
and returned to England with them the
same year. All of this party are now dead
1t was tins band which first introduced black
coats and pants and white vests for the
Introductory performance. The Dumble-
ton party while in England played at the
st. James theatre for one year and eight
months.
THE AUTHOR OF "OLD DAN TUCKER"
"Among the great banjo players and one
of the original starters of negro minstrelsy
was Daniel d. Emmett, who has done good
work for the minstrel fraternity, perhaps
more genuine musical niggerisms than any
other man. Uncle Dan, as he is Familiarity
called, was born in Mount Vernon, o., Oct,
80, 1915, and has consequently passed his
three-score and ten. While with the Bryant's
minstrels in New York, city, he wrote these
popular airs: Root Hog or Die, 'Boatman
Dance High Daddy old Dan Tucker
Dandy Jim, The Other Side of Jordan, Old
Aunt Sally, 'Dixies Land. Early in de Morn
ing Over de Mountain together with
wonderful collection of walk around dances.
Some have asserted that Joe Sweeney, ma
tive of Louisville, KY, was about the first
to make the banjo famous as an accessory
to negro comicalities. | am sure he was
among the early ones. Earl Pierce, Tom
Briggs, Dave Lull, Tom Vaughn, Frank
Stanton, Billy WhitloclS, High Rumsey, and
Pupsie Keenan,, all flourished successfully
shortly after"